‘With the way it’s going now…’ – Dutch icon backs Real Madrid forward to win Ballon d’Or next year | OneFootball

Former Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder recently sat down with MARCA for an interview, where he talked about the state of Real Madrid’s current squad.

While the team is indeed coming on the back of poor form, Sneijder has backed some of the top players in the squad, including Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

The Dutchman even went on to back Mbappe to win the Ballon d’Or title next year, if he can continue his current vein of form.

Sneijder on Mbappe and Ballon d’Or

Mbappe has been the undisputed star of the team for Real Madrid this season, stepping up as a real leader in the final third and improving on an already impressive debut campaign.

“With the way it’s going now, I’m pretty sure Mbappe will win it next season, 100%,” he told MARCA when asked about the French forward’s form.

Mbappe has indeed been quite the menace this season, racking up 23 goals and three assists in just 19 matches in all competitions.

Sneijder also lauded Mbappe’s form as a striker, even adding that Real Madrid do not require a player like Erling Haaland anymore despite reports linking him with a move to the Bernabeu.

Can Mbappe win the Ballon d’Or next year? (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

“Besides, he’s now become a true striker; he performs better than he did on the wing. Real Madrid doesn’t need a player like Haaland,” he said.

Sneijder added that Vinicius Junior, too, has the ability to win the Ballon d’Or. He also stated that he doens’t understand why the Brazilian international was snubbed.

“Vinicius will perhaps win it the following year. They both have the quality for it. Maybe Vini could have already won it two years ago. He deserved it then, but it’s no shame.

“For me, and I don’t know what they think, I felt happier lifting the Champions League trophy than winning a Ballon d’Or and not winning the Champions League that season,” he said.

Sneijder on Xabi and Vinicius’ relationship

There has been a lot of chatter surrounding Xabi Alonso and his fractured relationship with Vinicius, who apparently is hesitant to renew with the club if Alonso remains a coach.

Sneijder, though, backed Xabi Alonso to weather the storm and fix the issue between the two.

“If you’re a good coach, you’ll know how to handle this. Of course, it’s not pleasant, because everyone saw this reaction, but what matters is how you deal with it and how you manage it afterward,” he said.

He even advised Xabi to ask him to calm down and be more focused on the team while instilling confidence in the attacker at the same time.

“Tell him: ‘Vini, listen. This isn’t right, you know that. Don’t ever do it again. For now, it’s okay, but not in the next game you play. I have all my confidence in you, but there are times when I have to take you off.’

“‘You have to accept it like a man. You can be happy about it, you can be unhappy about it, but that’s not the way to react. ‘I’m the coach, and I want what’s best for you guys.’ And that’s it,” he concluded.